Wagner fighters return to fight in Ukraine − UK intelligence
UK Defence Intelligence has confirmed information that Wagner Group fighters have begun to be deployed in Ukraine again.
Source: UK Ministry of Defence intelligence review on 29 September, as reported by European Pravda
Details: The mercenaries are reported to be returning to Ukraine individually and in small groups, fighting against Ukraine on the side of various pro-Russian units.
Quote: "The exact status of the redeploying personnel is unclear, but it is likely individuals have transferred to parts of the official Russian Ministry of Defence forces and other PMCs [private military companies – ed.]."
Details: The analysts reported that the Wagner fighters are concentrated in the Bakhmut district, Donetsk Oblast and suggested that their experience in this sector would be useful for the Russian occupiers, as many of them are familiar with the current contact line and local Ukrainian tactics.
Background:
- Units of the Wagner Group PMC left Ukraine at the beginning of June – before the failed mutiny attempt by the leader of the group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, on 23 June, who later died in a plane crash on 23 August, along with other leaders of the group.
- On 27 September, Illia Yevlash, spokesperson for the Eastern Grouping of Forces, reported that former mercenaries of the Wagner Group who were in Belarus had signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defence and moved to Ukraine's eastern front.
- Before that, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin stated that a sizable number of Wagner Group fighters were maintaining a significant presence in African countries.
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